Royal Commissioner Virgina Bell has had to interrupt a lawyer for a Palestinian group after her line of questioning strayed into broader Middle Eastern history and detailed military action rather than focusing on the Royal Commission’s terms of reference around anti-Semitism and social cohesion.
Counsel for the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) Ragni Mathur had disputed SW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip’s claim that a protest at Sydney Opera House had been a celebratory affair, insisting Israel at that point hadn’t launched widespread retaliatory action to the Hamas October 7 terror attack.
Commissioner Bell had to step in during Ms Mathur’s cross examination to remind the hearing that the high profile probe wasn’t focused on exploring the hostilities of the Middle East “in greater detail” but rather focus on anti-Semitism in Australia.
“Ms Mathur, I don’t think you’re going to get very far with this line,” Ms Bell interrupted her.
“The witness has acknowledged that it is a very contested history.
“That there have been innocent Palestinian lives lost, just as innocent Israeli lives lost.
“I understand the matters that you wish to canvas, but the witness isn’t in a position to do more than possibly agree that that is a fair reading of a portion of the United Nations Commission report, that can be referred to in submissions.
“I do think that we’ve gone as far as we can with this line of questioning.”